Abortion in Burkina Faso is only legal in the following circumstances;
- If the abortion will save the woman's life
- If the pregnancy gravely endangers the woman's physical or mental health
- If the child will potentially be born with an incurable disease
- In pregnancy cases resulting from rape or incest, so long as it is proven by a state prosecutor.[1]
Even these abortions are limited to the first ten weeks of pregnancy.[1]
In Burkina Faso, any abortion performed under other conditions subjects the person who performs the procedure subject to one to five years imprisonment and imposition of a fine of 300,000 to 1,500,000 CFA francs.[2]
Impact of restricted abortion laws
editIn the early 1990s, at least 5% of women admitted into healthcare facilities for maternal health concerns had life-threatening complications from unsafe abortions, and 70% of these women were between 16 and 24 years of age.[2] During the same time period, 35% of women who sought medical treatment for infertility had previously been recipients of an illegal abortion.[2]
The inability to receive treatment for abortion complications can have severe repercussions, as abortion complications contribute 10-18% of maternal mortality, which at 330 per 100,000 births remains well above SDG 2030 goals. Women’s abortion experiences are considerably shaped by structural inequities related to gender and wealth.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Abortion policies. 3, 2002: Oman to Zimbabwe. Population studies. New York: United Nations. 2002. ISBN 978-92-1-151365-3.
- ^ a b c Abortion Policies: Afghanistan to France. United Nations Publications. 2001. ISBN 9789211513653. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ Bazié, Fiacre; Thomas, Haley L.; Byrne, Meagan E.; Kindo, Boukary; Bell, Suzanne O.; Moreau, Caroline (2022-11-28). "Typologies of women's abortion trajectories in Burkina Faso: findings from a qualitative study". Reproductive Health. 19 (1): 212. doi:10.1186/s12978-022-01526-3. ISSN 1742-4755. PMC 9707265. PMID 36443828.
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